Soon to start week 9!

[CrimsonMama]

It's funny when you are on week 3 or so and look at week nine and go 😱😵😰 omg how am I ever going to that! But now... It's only a minute each way more from my current runs. I am confident I can do it and I am lucky. I have loved every single run! I can't explain the feeling? I don't know whether the joy comes from having completed it or from the energy expended and goodness it's done to the muscles? The good feeling lasts into the next day and I'm always looking forward to my next run!

That's not to say it isn't hard at times... Sometimes my brain tells me I might fail or I don't have enough energy when I start out and it's a hard hard slog for five-10 minutes. But then something just clicks and my brain starts cheering me on instead of being negative. And the longer runs are even better!

I cannot believe all these years I never knew you could get both joy and fitness from something completely free and accessable to do! I've never enjoyed exercise classes and although I go swimming once a week it's just 'alright'. I don't have the urge or wish to do more like with running.

Yesterday I managed to run before the snow hit and I just loved the cool (cold?) air. I even had to roll my sleeves up until the cool down walk!

Now I am thinking summer is going to be more difficult than winter to run in despite - in the beginning - imagining summer as the perfect time to run? I get hot very quickly so love the cold air or rain (not snow!) at this time of year. But then again I need more time in my day so think in summer I might be able to get up at 6am and run before work? I usually wake at 6 in summer despite not wishing to! So I think it will work out!!

So... Back to the topic of week nine. It is a strange week! As it is both of endings and beginnings! And a new chapter of running which I am certain will keep me posting here with more questions! 😸

[Irishprincess Graduate]

Good luck and enjoy your final week, whoop whoop 🎈👏🎉

You sound like you've really caught the bug, great isn't it? I love winter running more than summer and think it's easier so maybe you'll be a winter runner too ❄️🙂

[CrimsonMama in reply to Irishprincess]

Definitely! But I want to run all year round so I'll definitely be looking for tips when the sun comes out to play!

[AdventurousWanderer]

So good reading this.. Motivating. I am in summer and it is hard to run in the heat at the end of a long work day...

[DiscoRunner Graduate]

Such a brilliant post. And nails it completely! I deliberately started to learn in November because it would be cooler, and with the occasional menopausal tropical moment to really warm things up, am blooming glad I did. But there will be longer evenings so more options? And if you like running in the rain, last year’s heatwave might be a one-off and normal summers might resume ☔️!

I’m still consolidating runs, but think what we’ll be able to do by the summer?! Beginnings indeed.

Really looking forward to seeing how your ‘next’ 3 runs go! x

[CrimsonMama in reply to DiscoRunner]

You had more forethought than me then to plan when you started this! I was struggling to lose weight with just dieting and a lady at work mentioned C25K. Have lost weight and inches since and the fact I'm loving it has been a fantastic bonus!

The other day I was thinking about my future goals to get a very high paid job and buy a house and No1 on my house hunting list would be to make sure there is beautiful places to run! Lol

[DiscoRunner Graduate in reply to CrimsonMama]

I just posted this to someone new doing what we’re doing - having c25k as a support for weight loss -

‘I’ve had similar results, bit of weight loss but many inches to Tonkabella. Dieting without exercise is not really a good idea, as it’s easier for your body to give up muscle rather than fat. So if you’re not using your muscles, they go. Which leads to a less effective body generally, but specifically for people conscious of their weight, muscle uses many more calories when resting (momentarily!) on the couch than the fat we were carrying. Plus you’re burning extra calories while running!

Over time, if you stick to 3x30 runs a week I’m sure you’ll lose a fair amount. C25K is a miracle - for your fitness, stamina, health, muscle tone, and amazing brain tonic as well as getting you to 30 mins running in no time. But when you’ve completed it you’ve run for less than a total of 10 hours. Which is totally amazing (I thought I’d die after that first minute W1R1!), but in the grand scene if things isn’t huge. But think what you’ll do over 3 months (18 hours), then 6 months...So your body will slowly change via exercise, and will, hopefully, stop the yo yo dieting - I read somewhere the other day ‘I wish I weighed what I did when I first thought I was fat’!

So well done for finding this! It’s really going to change the game for you, I’m sure. I’m a firm believer in ‘dieting makes you fat’. Well it did it to me anyway! x

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Yeah... you can add layers to run in the cold... you can’t take all of them off and more when it’s too hot... but your fitness will be higher by then, and nice slow running is the name of the game again when it’s 80F+

You’ve done great... enjoy this victory lap.

[CrimsonMama in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Thank you! I have questions lol but I'll save them for when the time comes! And like you say, I will be fitter by then 😊

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to CrimsonMama]

If all else fails, sign up for a triathlon ... then you get to run all wet and cool 😂